Sick
by DarkAngelSnapeLover
Summary: Mei-Lin has a mysterious illness and Binky is worried for her. What happens when the young girl must go to the ER? Will she get better soon? One-shot. Final response to my one-shot theme challenge. See inner note for details.


**Sick**

Mei-Lin was sick. Her mother noticed she wasn't as active during the day, but she thought nothing of it. When she refused to eat her dinner, however, and one of her favorite dishes at that, her mother did a careful examination. She didn't know exactly what Mei-Lin had, but she did have a low fever. Only time would tell exactly what the poor girl had.

Binky was lying in bed trying to get to sleep when Mei-Lin started to cry, quietly at first but soon very loudly. Binky sat up in bed, his heart pounding. A few moments later, he was blinking as his father opened the door, flooding the room with light.

"We need to take your sister to the emergency room. Get dressed and meet me outside," his father instructed, his voice shaky with worry. Binky obeyed as his father rushed away. The last time the family had to take such a trip, Mei-Lin wasn't apart of the family yet. In fact, Mei-Lin had been a healthy child up to this point, her only illness an ear infection many months before.

When Binky finished dressing, he rushed outside. His mother's car was gone, as was his mom and Mei-Lin. Binky's father was sitting in his car, the engine on as he nervously tapped the steering wheel. He backed out of the driveway before Binky could even buckle his seatbelt. Binky clicked the belt into place as his heart began to pound again. His only thought was of his sister and if she would be alright.

At Elwood City General Hospital, Binky and his father took a seat in a private family waiting room. The television in the room was blaring out Spanish infomercials, the network's regular programming well off the air. Binky's father stared forward, his eyes looking directly under the television, but he drowned out its strange language, ignoring their dramatic gestures as they advertised the latest gizmo.

Binky sat up as his pale mother entered the room. His father looked up momentarily, but when his wife shook her head, he looked down again. Binky's mom sighed heavily, sitting on the other side of her son. She took his hand:

"I know this is upsetting, but I want you to know your sister is in good hands. I know everyone taking care of her, and they're the best in Elwood City," she smiled, her eyes twinkling. She was trying to be strong for Binky, but she really wanted to burst into tears. None of her nursing training could prepare her for her own sick child, not one area of training.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barnes?" a doctor called. The Barnes family nodded as the doctor entered the room, closing the door behind him. "I want to thank you both for deligently bringing your daughter to the ER. As you noted, her temperature was rising steadily, but we'll be able to help her here. We're not sure what her illness is, but we've sent some cultures to Metropolis's lab. I rushed the results, so we should know in the morning. Do you have any questions?"

"What are cultures?" Binky asked. He'd heard the word in social studies, but he didn't know it was a science word too. The doctor smiled and exited when he saw the parents had no questions, knowing Mrs. Barnes could provide an answer for Binky. She did tell him what cultures were, "They're samples that show if any bacteria or viruses are in Mei-Lin's body. Everyone has various types of bacteria, but some can be harmful," she choked, holding back tears.

Binky nodded, looking to the television as his mother decided to pace the floor. Binky recognized the commercial because he'd seen it in English too, but he still couldn't understand this Spanish version. He tried focusing on the words, but nothing ever made any sense, just like the entire situation. Binky felt lost, unsure of what to do, but he knew Mei-Lin had to be okay.

The next morning, Binky's parents were allowed to see mei-Lin, but Binky had to wait in a waiting room on the third floor, where the children's intensive care was located. Mei-Lin had been moved there in the night because she was admitted to the hospital. Binky was alone in the waiting room until his mother returned with a bright smile on her face.

"Why are you so happy?" Binky asked.

"It's only the chicken pox! Her sores started showing around four, but they need to monitor her for a little while. I'm going to stay with her, but you and your father should go home to get some sleep," Binky's mother smiled.

Binky was happy that his sister was going to be okay. He'd had the chicken pox before, so he remembered how itchy the situation could be, but when Mei-Lin returned home, he helped soothe her with an oatmeal bath before helping her pick out cute mittens to keep her from scratching. The Barnes family would be okay.

~End

Theme 034: Illumination

Theme 035: Lost

The themes are from a one-shot theme challenge I'm doing with TheUltimateCombo and others. PM us if you'd like to join.

I'd like to say these were the last themes I had to complete. I started writing for Illumination first, but when I wrote the part about how lost Binky felt, I knew it would fit the other theme as well. I'm still in the process of typing up earlier entries I wrote over the summer, but most should be up soon. I'll update my profile and my journal on deviantArt (penname SS-Chrys) to show the final tally.

And I'd like to wish any other participants luck. This was such a fun challenge, and I recommend it for anyone looking for a fun and friendly event.


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